Parachute



Aug. 4, 1931. J. BROWN. JR

PARACHUTE Filed Sept. 1. 1928 :5 Sheets-Sheet 1 James LIBTow L Jr? a IvAug. 4, 1931. J. BROWN, JR

PARACHUTE Filed Sept. 1, 192a 3;Sheets-Sheet 2 'Inve r1167 JamesLfirownJr- .Bi his a7! W Aug. 4, 1931. J. BROWN, JR

PARACHUTE Filed Sept. 1, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 JamesLBmwmT Q)! I113 @151wwue Patented Aug. 4, 1931 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES L. BROWN,JR, OF LAN CASTER PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T FOLLMER, CLOGG & COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK I ranaonu'm Application filed September 1, 1928.Serial No. 803,525.

The present device has amongst other objects, the preventing of theperipheral edge of the parachute from flapping over thereby precludingor hindering the entrance of air into the interior of the parachute;also the prevention of the constriction of the mouth of the parachutethrough the entanglement of the folds of the sail with the suspendinglines; expediting the inflation of the parachute by increasing thelength of the peripheral edge of the sail.

When the present parachute is inflating, the pilot parachute being atthe apex of the main parachute and the load being at the lower end ofthe suspending lines, no tension is transmitted to the materialof thesail at the peripheral edge, betweenany two adjacent lines. The radiallengths between v the apex of the sail and its peripheral edge measuredalong the fabric of the sail vary, when measured from diflerentportionsof the peripheral edge of the sail. These lengths are less whenmeasuredfrom points on the peripheral. edge between the points ofjunction of the load lines with the sail than when measured at the loadlines. recession of the edge of the fabric inward from the line of acireledrawn from the apex ofthe sail as a centre and the radial distancefrom the apex to the point of junction of the load line and the sailoccurs,

the radial length of the fabric itself being.

permanently less at the intermediate points.

' This construction forms what is technically known as a cut back,lengthening the peripheral-edges of the sail between the load lines,lifting the portion of this peripheral edge while the parachute isstrung out and being inflated, and hence getting it out of the way ofthe lines, making the peripheral edge at the parts of it between thepoints of junction of load lines, during the period of this stringingout, run much more vertically than in the circular parachute, henceavoiding theflapping over of the loose portlon, and giving the enteringedge .as the peripheral edge of the sail is called when the parachute isin this situation, a more perpendicular form,

which results in the formation of many and loops for the entrance of air(very certainly and immediately formed) at the peripheralapex of thesail is brought nearer in the present device, to the peripheral edge bythe use of these out backs in the periphery thus increasing the flyingdiameter. It also tends to prevent-oscillation in flight b lowering thecenter of gravity and provi ing by means of the cut backs in theperifphery for an escape of the over pressure 0 air at a'point above theordinary point at which air escapes from other parachutes. Inaccomplishing these purposes I make the sail with the periphery cut backeither between the adjacent suspending lines or between the center linesof the gores or other oint on' the periphery so that the sail is ongerradially at one point than at another. This construction can beaccomplished in a number of ways. Either the gore itself can be cut backbetween the suspending lines or a configuration can be given similar tothat which would be formed by a series of such gores through attachingto the peripheral edge of the parachute auxiliary portions of sail whichmay be done in' a number of ways. The particular shape of this cut backneed not be limited to any specific form. The various forms in which itcan be shaped are very numerous and some of them, those that I considerat present the best, I will describe in the following portions of myspecification and the advantages of these various forms will be at thesame time set forth. Describing'now what I regard as the best forms ofmy device: Fig. 1 illustrates a plan view of my parachute. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of two adjacent goresstitched together. Fig. 4 is an outline of another shape of gore. Fig. 5is an outline of still another-shape of gore. Fig. 6 is a sketch showinga strung out parachute, the apex' being supported by an auxiliaryparachute, the lower edge of the main parachute being drawn down by theloadv cords, and the multiple air receiving mouths being shown in theposition they will occupy when the parachute is strung out. Figs. 789picture the progressive stages of opening showing that in the earlierstages of inflation the true value of the multiple months is realized.Fig. 10 shows a form of the present parachute where the cut back isformed by attaching to the peripheral edge an auxiliary portion of thesail extending over a portion of the two adjacent gores and over thesuspending cord.

Fig. 11 the cut back is formed by two pieces of auxiliary sails that donot cross the suspending cord. Fig. 12 shows a cut back by attaching anauxiliary panel and additional rigging.

The parachute sail is composed of gores, 1, 1, the radial edges of whichare secured together in the usual way, the upper part of the load cord,16, being contained in the seam. This is a standard form of parachuteconstruction, but any other suitable construction can be adopted. Thepoints, 9,.

g, of emergence of the load cord, 6, are shown at the lower points ofthe gore between which is the entering edge of the parachute when theparachute is strung out. I will proceed now with the description of theparachute as it is operated when strung out. The periphery of theparachute sail is formed by the entering edges of the various gores orthe panel attached thereto. Between these points, 9, g, the enteringedge of the gores retreats to give the desired eontoiir' to the mouth bywhich the air enters into the inside of the sail so that the tendency ofthe fold to flap over on the adjacent fiap will be largely or entirelyeliminated, the mouth opening enlarged and the trappingof the airfacilitated. In the contour shown in Fig. 3, the entering edge of thegore had the straight slopes, and the straight horizontaledge, a. InFig. 4 the slope is a continuous curve with the side slopes, d, cl, andthe upper part, 0, of the entering edge also curved. InFig. 5 theentering edge has two slopes, f, 7, that meet in a point. The lowerreinforcement of the cord may follow the contour more or less exactly.orgo, straight across the gore. In Fig. 3 the reinforcement follows thecontour of the mouth. In. Fig. 5 the reinforcement follows the contourto an extent, in Fig. 5, the reinforcement goes straight across.

The depth to which the gores are cut in 5; is suflicient to prevent theparts, 19, of the form of parachutes.

from the points, g, g, to make given slopes 0, c, d, 05, and f, f, alarge angle with the horizontal so that a large mouth will be provided.The horizontal portions, a and 6, cause the upper part of the mouth tospread and trap more air.

Theparachute, when strung out, as shown in Fig. 6, has the mouths in thefolds, 19, (marked in this figure and in Fig. 7, 10 and 11,) undividedand spread open at the top slightly more than at the bottom. As theyproject comparatively slightly beyond the points 9, g, the exterior airfriction, when the parachute is retarded, is exerted on the enteringedge above the points, 9, g, and thev tendency is to push the fabric ofthe folds 1 upwards, and not to flap them. The long line of the enteringedge along the cut is almost vertical and the tendency of the rushing inair is to keep it so and keep the fabric along the folds verticalinstead of bending it over, as itwould'do with the entering edgeshorizontal or have only the slight inclination they would-have were theperipheral edge of the sail circumferential.

The mouth is thus held open. The mouth is also much longer thanin thestandard It will also be noted (see Fig. 6) that'the point'of majorfiexion will be near the point m which is much nearer the peripheraledge than the point of major fiexion in other parachutes when fullyinflated. This gives a much greater supporting surface for thesamesquare feet of area of the sail.

Substantially the same structure can be produced by sewing to theentering edge of the standard parachute wings such as 12, in Fig. 10. Asillustrated in this figure, the wing 12, is a triangular piece of fabricthat extends over parts of the lower edge of two adjacent gores and overthe load cord, 16. The wing is attached to the gores by stitching. InFig. 11, a pair of triangular wings,

14, 14,. are attached to the bottom of the gore by the stitching, 20. InFig. '12, the wing is a triangular piece sewed to the bottom of the gorehaving its point projecting downwards and having attached to this pointone or more auxiliary cords, 21, which may run either to the harness orto the load cords.

I do not confine myself to the particular forms of structures above setforth, and my invention is not to be limited to less than set forth inthe claims that follow when fairly construed.

I claim 1, A parachute provided with gores having a series of mouthsformed by the entermouths being increased by inclining their boundinglines at places to the centre line of the gores.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said mouths have theupper portions of their bounding edges more horizontal than the lowerportion of the same.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper portions of themouths are situated when the parachute is strung, out above the upperpart of the rigging,

whereby the entrance of air 1nto the parachute will not be retardedshould the rigging become entangled.

4. A parachute having a, sail composed of gores made of a woven fabric,said sail containing gores in which the edges of the fabric forming thesame, where said edges form a portion of the peripheral edge of thesail, have the edges of said fabric indelllted toward the peak of theparachute sa1 5. In a parachute having a sail formed of gores of wovenfabric, a gore in which the peripheral edge of the fabric of the gore isindented and lies back of a line extending between the points where theperipheral edge of the gore and the seam edge of the gore meet, whensaid gore is laid flat.

6. A parachute in which the sail is,

formed of a series of gores seamed together at their adjacent edges andhaving the load cords extending along the seams between the said gores,and sewed therein, from the apex of the parachute to the periphery ofthe sail, and extending from the periphery of the sail directly to theload; said sail having the distance from the peripheral edge thereof tothe apex thereof, measured along said load cords, substantially greaterthan the radial distance between the peripheral edge of the sail and theapex, measured radially edges of said mouth nearer the said seamsbetween the said gores.

8. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein theslanting of the edge ofthe parachute thereby produced, largely increases the length of theopening edge of the sail.

9. A parachute having a sail composed of triangular gores seamedtogether by a seam connecting adjacent edges thereof, and having loadcords extending from the apex to the circumference of the sail and sewedinto the seam between the adjacent gores; the length of the peripheraledge of said sail being largely increased by giving the edge of thegores lying between the the points of emergence of the load cords fromsaid seams a slanting direction'towards the apex of the parachute whenthe gore is laid out flat.

JAMES L. BROWN, JR.

along said gores, at points between the seams uniting the edges of theadjacent gores to each other.

7 A parachute in which the sail is formed of a series of triangulargores two of the sides of which gores are much longer than the otherside, and where this third side of said gores forms a portion of thecircumference of the parachute sail, and having the adjacent long sidesof said gores united to each other by a seam, and having the load cordsextending, radially of sail, from the apex to the circumference of thesail, and being contained in said seam and extending directly from thecircumference of the sail to the load, and in which the third side ofsaid gores, recedes, between the points on the circumference of the sailat which'the load cords emerge fromthe said seams, thereby forming anupwardly extending mouth, the middle portion of which lies nearer theapex of the sail than do the

